| To answer this question, let's start by taking a look | | | | bacteria and fungi. This is why they're called |
| at Essential Oils, which are the heart and soul of | | | | 'antiseptic' (which basically means germ killing.) Some |
| Aromatherapy. | | | | powerful antiseptic essential oils are Lemon, Tea |
| What Exactly Are Essential Oils? | | | | Tree, Eucalyptus, Pine and Lavender. That's why you |
| Essential oils are microscopic molecules of "oil" | | | | see them in home cleaning products! |
| extracted from the flowers, leaves, stems and/or | | | | - They help reduce inflammation. Symptoms of |
| roots of plants such as trees, shrubs, grasses, | | | | inflammation include pain, redness and swelling. Some |
| flowers and herbs. Simply speaking, essential oils | | | | good anti-inflammatory essential oils are Chamomile, |
| contain the distilled essence of the plant. | | | | Lavender, Sandalwood and Benzoin. |
| For example, if you were to simmer a big pot of | | | | - They reprogram our cells so they function and |
| lavender flowers on the stove for a while, you'd | | | | replicate properly. For example, essential oils such as |
| start to notice little blobs of oil forming on top of the | | | | Basil, Pine and Rosemary restore function to the |
| water. This is the essential oil - the essence of the | | | | adrenal glands. |
| lavender flowers. | | | | - They are sedative. They relax our nervous system |
| Note: This is not a good method of extraction | | | | and our muscles, which helps ease pain, tension, |
| because the essential oil quickly goes moldy due to | | | | cramps and muscle spasms. Sedative essential oils |
| the presence of water. Plus, it takes A LOT of | | | | include Lavender, Clary Sage, Geranium, and Ylang |
| lavender flowers to make even the tiniest amount of | | | | Ylang. |
| oil. It's just not worth it - there's so many other | | | | How Do Essential Oils Affect our Emotions? |
| great things you can do with lavender flowers! | | | | Inhaling essential oils stimulates the olfactory nerves |
| Essential oils have microscopically small molecules. | | | | (sense of smell), which send signals to the brain's |
| There are approximately 40 million trillion molecules in | | | | limbic system (sometimes called the 'emotional brain'.) |
| one drop of essential oil. Their tiny size makes it very | | | | The limbic system controls heart rate, blood |
| easy for our skin and our lungs to absorb them. | | | | pressure, breathing, memory and hormone |
| That's why they're so powerful and so effective. | | | | production. When the limbic system receives signals |
| How Do Essential Oils Get Inside Us? | | | | from the olfactory nerves, it triggers an emotional, |
| When essential oils oils are absorbed through the skin, | | | | physiological and endocrine (hormone) response. |
| such as with massage, they travel into the lymphatic | | | | For example, when you smell Lavender essential oil, |
| system. The lymphatic system then circulates them | | | | its microscopic chemicals immediately trigger your |
| into the blood stream. Once the oils are circulating in | | | | emotional brain to calm your nervous system and |
| the blood, they really get to work, reducing | | | | relax your muscles. These combined effects reduce |
| inflammation, fixing imbalances, fighting infection and | | | | your stress and help you sleep. |
| so on. | | | | How Can I Use Aromatherapy to Feel Better? |
| Even when you simply inhale an essential oil, such as | | | | Aromatherapy is especially well known for its |
| with a diffuser, the oil is absorbed through the | | | | stress-relieving powers. You can use it in a hundred |
| mucous membranes of your respiratory tract and | | | | different ways to calm your nerves, ease your |
| lungs. Then it's transferred into the blood stream to | | | | anxiety and relax your muscles. You can also use |
| work its healing magic. | | | | essential oils to clear up troubled skin, revitalize your |
| How Do Essential Oils Help our Bodies? | | | | hair or relieve your aching back. |
| Essential oils contain hundreds of natural chemicals. | | | | It's surprisingly easy (and a lot of fun) to make your |
| Although each oil has its own unique chemical | | | | own bath, body and massage oils, bath salts and |
| components, what makes all essential oils special is | | | | body lotions. Even make your own aromatherapy |
| something called "terpenes". | | | | candles! You simply need a little knowledge and a |
| Terpenes do a lot of work in our bodies. | | | | few basic ingredients. |
| - They create an environment unfriendly to viruses, | | | | |